Instigator
by LaFlorDelMar
Summary: Onshot, can be considered a sequel to 'Conqueror', but is strong enough to stand alone. Slight Alucard x Seras, rated 'T' for slight language. Disclaimer: I don't own, don't sue. Reviews are welcome, flames are not.


_A note: Due to an inquiry on whether or not _Conqueror_ would have a sequel, I present you with this. Just a bit of fun. Can be considered a sequel to the aforementioned, but I think it is strong enough to stand on its own. Seems it felt the need to escape the confines of my mind, which can be a pretty scary at place at times, so it's understandable._

_Based on the anime series, or rather, some time after the series (I'm going to pretend that everything turned out fine eventually)._

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Seras Victoria was not a person inclined to jealousy. Quite the opposite, really. It was a useless emotion in most cases, she found, and would not allow herself to waste precious energy on such.

Despite her convictions, however, she felt herself being drawn to its sensuous beck and call to indulge in the hated emotion. Honestly, this was ridiculous. She shook her head and repressed a sigh. Being jealous of a person was one thing. Being jealous of an inanimate object was quite another. 'I will not allow this to happen,' she berated the tiny voice in her head. She somewhat successfully ignored its pleadings, but a glance to her right caused the desire to flare up once again.

All she knew was that her Master was lucky that he was such. If he had been anyone else she would have let her displeasure be known.

It had been nearly four hours since he had dragged her from her coffin, insistent that she be ready to go with him to begin some new training methods. Curiosity and excitement at being granted a chance to spend some time with her Master had spurred her to dress quickly. Her efforts seemed to have been for naught.

He had led her to the warehouse maze the new recruits used to learn and hone their indoor combat skills and gave her simple directions: use her vampiric senses to lock onto his location, which would change on a whim, and find him. She would receive further instructions once her task had been successfully accomplished. Well, the former _had_ been finished; quickly and efficiently, if she did say so herself. It had only taken her thirty-four minutes to find him. She was proud of such a time considering that he had seemingly enjoyed darting from room to room, a sophisticated game of cat and mouse. Perhaps he wasn't used to being the prey.

It had surprised Alucard as well that he had been sought out so quickly, not that he would have admitted it to the police girl. Her abilities were strengthening each day and the fact that she had been able to anticipate his last move was proof of such. Soon she would be able to phase through solid objects and teleport.

His attention didn't seem to be on such ponderings however. Miss Victoria would never have guessed that he was silently appraising her accomplishments. He seemed quite content to be completely absorbed in that damn Jackal of his. She glared in disgust at the veritable hand cannon, vaguely wondering how Walter had even been able to hold onto it with one hand.

Yes, the last three hours and twenty-six minutes had been spent with her sitting on the ground waiting for her Master to say even one word to her while he adoringly polished and cleaned his gun. Once again she thought of how lucky he was to be her Master. 'If it was anyone else, everyone would stay away from me for at least a week,' she grumbled silently, making sure to keep her thoughts quiet so he would not know of her displeasure.

She glanced discreetly at her watch, wondering what the point of this was. She could be watching _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ right now. Well, in twenty minutes anyway. Stupid, yes, but she was in dire need of a good laugh. Was Master trying to teach her a lesson in patience? If so, she felt that she was doing a rather good job thus far. Nearly four hours!

Her teeth sought out her bottom lip and she recoiled when her left cuspid nearly sliced through the soft flesh. Sometimes she forgot that she had fangs now. She stretched her legs before her, glancing up at her Master every so often. He continued to dote over his gun. 'The nerve,' she thought wryly. 'It's almost like being stood up.' She contemplated whether she should speak her mind or not, and decided that maybe it wouldn't hurt just this once to do so.

Her Master beat her to it. "Good job, police girl," he said in a grudging tone as he put his beloved gun away.

She jumped at his voice and, laughing, he reached out a hand to firmly clamp her bottom jaw to the top so she would refrain from gaping. "So now you decide you wish to talk," she grumbled.

He raised an eyebrow at her tone, but his insane grin appeared nonetheless. "You are growing stronger. I have been trying to hear your thoughts for about three hours now. It was increasingly difficult. Normally you seem to scream them out."

She blushed slightly and narrowed her eyes. "You've spent all this time trying to get in my head? You bastard!" Her expression turned to one of embarrassment as she clasped her hands over her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Master! Please, forgive me," she pleaded. To her surprise he laughed once again.

"It seems you're finally growing a backbone as well," he teased before changing his expression to one of solemnity. "I was able to catch a few snippets here and there, but it is more important than I can express that you guard yourself well." He stood and, in an unexpected gesture of kindness, extended his hand. She accepted it warily and stretched once back on her feet.

"Master…" She trailed off, wondering how to word her thoughts in such a way that she wouldn't seem the fool. "Forgive me, but do I need to guard my thoughts from everyone…or shall I keep them open for you?"

He graced her with a toothy grin. "Police girl, half the time I doubt you could keep me from entering your mind, even if you tried." He chuckled at the irked glare she sent in his direction and placed a gentle hand atop her head. "If you wish for me to put your mind at ease, then listen closely."

Her Master trailed a finger down the side of her neck, tracing over the scars he had marked her with. She closed her eyes against the odd onslaught of sensations the touch caused. _There are those that would use your mind to hurt you. Rest assured that I shall never be the one to do such a thing._ The words echoed in her head quietly, her Master's voice, and her eyes snapped open. He was gone. She briefly pondered over his odd comfort, but decided to focus on that later.

"I'm going bloody insane," she mumbled aloud and looked around. "Now which way do I go to get out of here?" She twirled on her heel and crossed her arms over her chest in a show of exasperation. Her Master had used up whatever patience she had possessed. "Damn you!"

---

Miss Seras Victoria settled into the overstuffed cushion of the couch in Walter's chambers, smiling at the aging butler. He smiled back as he turned the television on to the channel broadcasting _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_.

She had made it out of that maddening maze and back to the main building just in time to catch the comedy. Her luck seemed to be taking a turn for the better; Walter had been in the kitchen as she was retrieving a packet of blood. Not only had he granted her permission to use his television, as that was one of the only in the compound, but he had agreed to join her as well.

"How did things go with Alucard today? You were gone for quite a long while," Walter commented as he sat in his favorite armchair.

She stuck her tongue out as her face contorted to that of annoyance. "It was fine up until the time when he ignored me for nearly four hours to play with that stupid gun. _Master_ says that he was trying to get through my mental blocks, but _I_ say that he was just obsessing over his hand cannon and couldn't think of a better excuse to justify his actions." She paused. "Not that he would have any need to, seeing as how I'm merely a fledgling."

Walter chuckled quietly. "Either is a definite possibility when it comes to Alucard. Though I think in light of recent events his concern for your mental protection is warranted."

She pouted, but nodded her agreement. "I know. I just feel stupid nearly allowing myself to be jealous of an inanimate object."

"Take comfort in the fact that he cares about your welfare. Not many may boast of such a thing. Though I do not recommend such a reaction."

She snorted, quite un-ladylike. "Not that I would. His ego is big enough to fit an entire circus and the spectators comfortably with room left over," she retorted and grinned when she was rewarded with laughter. It took her a second to realize that two people were laughing instead of just one. She twisted in her seat to look at the door. Sir Integra leaned against the doorframe, one hand over her mouth in an attempt to hide her mirth. "Sir Integra!"

"Hello Victoria. I trust all went well with your training today?" She gave the vampire a slightly reproachful look. "I neglected to receive a status report."

The vampire leapt from her seat and saluted to her Master's master. "Sir, I apologize for my lack of diligence. After Master abandoned…err, _left_… me in that warehouse I had to try to remember which way I'd come. By the time I got out I barely had enough time to find some way to watch the movie. The report completely escaped my mind."

Sir Integra narrowed her eyes at the explanation, but she admittedly had a bit of a soft spot for Alucard's young fledgling. "As it was Alucard that requested the training time, he should have written the report. However I doubt he would ever do such a thing. I expect to find one on my desk before midnight. However, I wish to hear a brief synopsis before I leave you to your…movie."

She saluted once more. "Sir. Master had me execute a seek-and-destroy type exercise where he was the target. Then he had me sit with him for nearly four hours in silence. I thought that he was ignoring me in favor of his gun, but he says he was testing my mental defenses. Either way he seemed pleased with the results. Sir."

Sir Integra tilted her head to the side slightly. "I see," she said. In a lower voice she added, "I'm going to need to have a talk with him, it seems. Cretin." Her words were uttered in near silence, but Seras heard them anyway and bit her lip to keep from laughing, remembering to do so gently.

Sir Integra took her leave.

_I heard that, police girl_. Alucard's voice rang out in his fledgling's head suddenly. There was no malice detected, but it sounded distinctly as though he were nearly pouting. _Tattletale._

_Master, I…what?_ she demanded. There was only silence and she returned to the couch to finish the movie with Walter.

---

She made her way down to the cellar and paused before her door, glancing down the hallway. Her head tilted slightly in the direction of her Master's chambers, but she entered her own room after several seconds. Perhaps the noise had been in her imagination.

She closed the door behind her and smiled as she caught sight of the book Walter was letting her borrow. _Kiss the Girls_ was placed on the night table beside her four-post coffin, just begging to be picked up and read. For an American novel, she rather liked James Patterson's writing style. His character, Alex Cross, wasn't half bad either. She had read _Along Came A Spider_ previously, and was glad she wasn't disappointed with the sequel.

She changed into her pajamas and stretched out languorously on the mattress. She flipped through the pages of the paperback book and began reading avidly as she found where she had left off.

Halfway through page 361 she looked towards the door. She had heard it again. She cocked her head to the side and stood slowly. What was going on? She left the comforts of her room and James Patterson and closed her eyes, attempting to pinpoint the location of the noise.

She walked down the hallway, coming to a stop before her Master's door. A painful-sounding groan escaped from beyond the door and her eyes widened in alarm. "Master? Are you all right?" She knocked on his door.

"No! Why?" was the anguished response. She had a feeling that he was not speaking to her. He sounded distracted. She knocked again, this time with a bit more force.

"Master. Would you please answer me?" she called again. Still no response directed toward her. She sighed and bit her lip. She couldn't bring herself to open his door. She had never been in his chambers and feared what his reaction might be to such an intrusion. On the other hand, what if he was in some sort of life-threatening distress? Not likely, of course, but she was prone to overreacting. _Master_, she called with her mind. That seemed to get his attention.

_Police girl? Is something wrong?_

_Not exactly…are you all right though? You've been making the most horrible sounds as though you're in pain. _She pondered over whether she should say anything more, but was saved of making the decision when his door swung open.

"I'm perfectly fine. When am I never all right?" he demanded mockingly. She glowered at him, not amused

"Oh, I can think of a few times," she replied. Her ears picked up the electronic whine of something. She pinpointed the source of the annoying tone as being a handheld gaming device hidden behind her Master's back. "What are you playing with?"

"Playing with?" Her Master's eyes narrowed. "Don't be ridiculous, police girl."

"But I heard it. Don't lie." She rather enjoyed seeing her Master get riled up like this on account of a silly game.

Apparently he didn't enjoy the taste of his own medicine. "Your occasional saucy outbursts and proof that you have some form of a spine is one thing. Unfounded accusations are quite another and I will not tolerate them."

She had to struggle not to smile at his tone. A mixture of embarrassment and anger. "My apologies then," she replied and started to turn away. He nodded and turned as well. A well-timed stretch of her hand produced the gaming contraption her Master had attempted to keep from her. She ran down the hallway to her own room and locked the door, briefly wondering when he would realize she had taken it from him.

The precaution was unnecessary, she knew, seeing as how he could simply melt through the walls, but it was a comfort. "Hm. What's this then?" she mused aloud as she read the back of the game cartridge. She nearly laughed to find him playing _Frogger_. She quickly opened the door to her wardrobe and pulled a loose plank aside in order to deposit the gaming device. Once her objective was complete she closed the door hurriedly. Her timing was impeccable; her Master phased through the wall only seconds later.

"Hand it over now, police girl. I am not in a particularly playful mood," he growled as he extended a hand.

She couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry, Master, I don't mean to find this so amusing," she gasped between giggles. "To think that you were having trouble with _Frogger_." She collapsed against the wardrobe, weakened by her giggling fit.

He crouched before her, firmly grasping her chin in his hand. "I don't want to make you regret trifling with your Master," he warned gently. She smiled demurely and nearly caught him off guard when she lashed out. He blocked her easily enough and countered. _Good girl_, he praised in her mind. She smirked as she felt him trying to get through her mental blocks to find out where his game was hidden. _Too good almost_.

The surprising compliment startled her and she dropped her guard. Her Master retrieved the information and started for the wardrobe before she could blink. She attempted to pull him away from the piece of furniture to no avail. "Master, that's not fair!" she exclaimed indignantly. "You cheated!"

"Let this be a lesson to you; words are often employed as nothing more than a ruse. Actions, of course, speak louder than words," he replied, grinning once again at the retrieval of his lost game.

"Master…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say. He hadn't meant his words then.

He picked up on that train of thought quite easily, her distress echoing loudly in his mind. He leaned down and brushed his lips to her forehead absently. _Do not make me repeat myself, Seras Victoria_, he said simply, and she knew what he meant. She gave him the smile she reserved for moments like these, which were rare, but treasured all the same. They looked at one another for several seconds before her smile broke into a wicked grin.

"Wait until Sir Integra hears about this," she taunted as she escaped from the room and ran down the hallway. Swearing under his breath, her Master engaged his target. Sir Integra was _not_ allowed to find out about this.


End file.
